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The last two sutras of the second chapter, Sādhanapāda, they deal with the pratyāhāra, the most important aṅga of the aṣṭāṅga and very important for the sādhana of the yoga, because it deals with the indriyas, which are the connection to the world outside with ourself. So it is pratyāhāra. The sutra is:
स्ववि॒ष॒या॒स॒म्प्रयो॒गे चि॒त्त॒स्व॒रूपानुकार॑ इ॒वे॒न्द्रि॒या॒णां प्र॑त्याहा॒रः ॥ २.५४॥
Saviṣayāsaṁprayoge cittasvarūpānukāra iva indriyāṇāṁ pratyāhāraḥ
Sva, viṣaya - Sva is one's own, specific, Viṣaya, subject or object, Sva-viṣaya, one's own specific object, one's own specific subject, asaṁprayoge, a is negative, not, sam is complete, totality, pra is true, thorough, yoga is meeting, joining, so asaṁprayoge is not having any contact, not having any contact, withdrawn, citta is the citta, svarūpa, one's own form or one's own state, anukāra, anukāra is imitating, following, anukaraṇa, so anukāra is following, iva is as if, indriyāṇām, organs, sense organs, pratyāhāra, pratyāhāra is drawing in towards, that is withdrawing. We shall see the details. So pratyāhāra is the condition of the senses where they will lose or they will have no contact with their respective objects, specific objects of enjoyment and follow the nature of the citta. That is withdrawn from the objects of sense enjoyments and after withdrawal as if it is in its original state. So this is the fifth aṅga. The pratyāhāra is the fifth aṅga of the aṣṭāṅga and a very important aṅga as it is the connection between the external world and ourself. We come in touch with the world through the indriyas and the world comes in touch with us through the indriyas, experiences, impressions, tendencies, saṁskāras which we carry on, all comes through the senses and the response, reactions towards the world, all types of reactions, all types of responses, whether it is wanted, unwanted or even forced or compulsive responses, reactions, all are based, connected, flow through the senses, it is as if a door, a threshold for the outside and with ourself and this is an important practice and the aṅga in the aṣṭāṅga yoga. Each sense has its own object of enjoyment. That is why it is called as saviṣaya. The ears has its own object of enjoyment of the sound. It is specific. The ears cannot see. It comes into the world of sound. And the pañcabhūtas and the tanmātrās, śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha and each tanmātra comes in touch with a specific indriya or each indriya can be in touch, will have the knowledge, it can convey the knowledge of only one specific tanmātra. Śabda tanmātra and the ears. The ears has a limitation only to convey, to bring the knowledge of the sound. Or the entire world is exposed to us through the ear with the knowledge of the sound. The recognition of the sound, object of the sound, subject of the sound is conveyed to us only by the ears. So the sound becomes food for ears. Intense desire, hunger, hankering of the ears can be fulfilled only with the desired sound. So sound becomes a food for the hunger of the ear. Similarly for the eyes, for the nose, for the skin, for śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha. For each one a specific object or subject is the food for that particular sense organ. That is the āhāra. Prati is weaning away, taking away, withdrawing. So pratyāhāra it is. So sva-viṣaya, that is the importance of the word sva-viṣaya. Asaṁprayoge, withdrawn, it is taken out. There is a beautiful sound, melodious sound or a very disturbing sound, but the eyes cannot see, but ears hear. By hearing the sound, by listening the sound, an impression, a tendency, a saṁskāra within the mind is tickled up and ignited. Once that is ignited, then the source of the sound, purpose of the sound, what is the source of the sound, which sound it is, all the knowledge, all the dimensions connected with the sound, that is taken, that is ignited within the mind, if it is stored in the smṛti. If it is not stored in the smṛti, in the citta, then the mind cannot recognize it. And if the same thing is repeated, bombarded, regularly, continuously, then there will be a desire to know, to find out, then the buddhi works there. This is how, for each object of the sense, when the sense organ and the object of the sense organ, its particular viṣaya, comes in contact, there will be everything in the mind. There will be an ignition in the mind. And then there will be a response. And that response, if it is compulsive, if the reaction is compulsive, if the response and the reaction is thoughtful, that is how we behave, we come in contact, we express ourselves. But even after the sense organ comes in touch with its object, saviṣaya, the following processes of reaction, response, recognition, igniting in the memory and creating a saṁskāra, all these can be stopped, all these can be withdrawn and that is pratyāhāra. So once the sense organ is withdrawn, then the sense organ will be in its own place svarūpe anukāra, it will be in its own place in the mind or citta. So withdrawal from the object, then settling down, or as if in its own svarūpa, because it is iva and anukāra, and that is an important dimension to understand what is pratyāhāra. Simply it is withdrawal from the sensual objects. The mind is withdrawn, sense organs are withdrawn and the mind behind the sense organs is the capturing site. And beautifully it is said, these sense organs by itself have no power. It is the mind which is important behind it. As if suppose you are walking somewhere, eyes are open, but if somebody asks whether the door is opened or closed, unless the mind was in contact, that interest, what we say, that interest, or seen, or when it is remembered, then only we will be able to give a correct answer. That procedure is the procedure where the mind came in touch with the sense organ and the sense organ was in touch with the object of it. These connections, if it is cut, and the sense organ is withdrawn from its object, then it settles down, as if in the citta, that is the indriya anukāra, iva indriyāṇām iti, that indriya as if becomes citta. So when the mind wants to put itself in touch with the external world, the sense organs should begin to function. It is not that sense organs should direct the mind. It is not their intensity and force. When the mind decides to withdraw, the sense organs should be able to withdraw with it, thus breaking all connection with the world outside. And this relation is traditionally beautifully given with an example of bees, honey bees, where the queen bee, when it flies, all bees fly, when the queen bee settles, all bees settle. The mind is like that. Senses follow the mind. Even if the senses run, rush, when the mind is not attached, when the mind is not in contact with it, the sense organs lose its power. It is very, very important. Even though the object is there, even though the sense organ is there, if the mind is not in contact with the sense organ, it loses its power. It should also be noted here that though pratyāhāra appears to be a control of the senses by the mind, the essential technique is really the withdrawal. It is not just control. It is a withdrawal of the mind into itself. And it is a kind of complete abstraction so that the sense organs cease to function. It is like somebody or any of us reading a very interesting book. We lose sense of our surroundings. But there, the mind and the sense organs are engaged in a particular external activity, an object, focusing was there. But in pratyāhāra, that will not be there. It is withdrawn. And after withdrawal, it will be in its own place as if iva, citta. No external support is taken. So in pratyāhāra, the abstraction is voluntary and the mind has no object of attraction in the external world. Its field of activity is entirely within itself and the external world is kept out by the sheer force of will. It is very, very important. Pratyāhāra it is.
Āhāra is the food, that which goes inside. Not only the food which goes in through the mouth, but what we captured through the eyes, what we captured through our ears, what is captured through the nose, what is captured through the skin, all this, through five sense organs, what was captured, all that is āhāra. Prati is withdrawal from that. There is an important dimension in the pratyāhāra: saviṣayāsaṁprayoge cittasvarūpānukāra iva indriyāṇāṁ pratyāhāraḥ. Asaṁprayoge - withdrawal. And what is the benefit of pratyāhāra? That is explained in the next, last sutra of this particular chapter. Let us see the benefit.
Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji.
Audio Link - https://youtu.be/AQgKt0BWoEk?si=5OeIolDmnvD_DWxT
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
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